Police in St. Petersburg have detained 67 people after clashes broke out at a gay-rights protest in the northern Russian city.

Some 20 gay-rights activists with rainbow flags and banners reading "Stop homophobia in Russia" and "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" gathered in Russia's second city on October 12 to mark International Coming Out Day.

But they were met by a group of dozens of Orthodox activists who occupied the site of the planned gay-rights rally and fighting started between the two groups.

One of the organizers of the gay-rights demonstration, Natalia Tsymbalova, said, "The homophobes broke up the action with the help of police."

Russia has seen a surge in attacks on the gay community since a law was passed in the country criminalizing the distribution of pro-homosexual propaganda allegedly directed at minors.